The present disclosure is related to sand control in wellbore operations and, more particularly, to sand control screen assemblies that include one or more erosion-resistant modules.
During hydrocarbon production from subsurface formations, efficient control of the movement of unconsolidated formation particles into the wellbore, such as sand or other debris, has always been a pressing concern. Such formation movement commonly occurs during production from completions in loose sandstone or following the hydraulic fracture of a subterranean formation. Formation movement can also occur suddenly in the event a section of the wellbore collapses, thereby circulating significant amounts of particulates and fines within the wellbore. Production of these unwanted materials may cause numerous problems in the efficient extraction of oil and gas from subterranean formations. For example, producing formation particles may tend to plug the formation, production tubing, and subsurface flow lines. Producing formation particles may also result in the erosion of casing, downhole equipment, and surface equipment. These problems lead to high maintenance costs and unacceptable well downtime.
Numerous methods have been utilized to control the production of these unconsolidated formation particles during production. Sand control screen assemblies, for instance, are used to regulate and restrict the influx of formation particles. Typical sand control screen assemblies are constructed by installing one or more screen jackets on a perforated base pipe. The screen jackets include one or more drainage layers, one or more screen elements such as a wire wrapped screen or single or multi-layer wire mesh screen, and a perforated outer shroud.
While sand screens offer a solution to preventing the influx of formation sand, over time the screen jackets and/or screen elements may erode. This is especially possible in high flow rate production zones. Moreover, sand screens can be damaged at times during installation downhole, thereby rendering the filtering ability of the screens partially ineffective. As a result, the sand screen fails to perform as designed and unwanted materials are produced to the surface.